Secret Stairs #7: Highland Park-Southwest Museum, 3.2 miles, 568 steps

It was great to be back on the trail after our 2-wk hiatus. Whenever we get out of the car to start a hike we look up to the hills to see how far up we're heading —and never quite believing what we're about to attempt. Then we do it. I could feel the history around us—Highland Park was developed in 1848 after the Mexican-American War ended. In the early 20th century it was a haven for artists & intellectuals, in the early 21st century a haven for gangs. The city ousted the gangs, the artists came back, and it's now a culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhood with truly astounding views, a historic feel, and some of the oldest Craftsman and shingle-and-clapboard homes in the city. Fleming called our first staircase the "granddaddy of wooden staircases," based at the top of mother of a sloped street so precipitous we climbed half of it backwards. You can barely see the staircase at the top above the yellow sign. Friendly people, dogs, cats, birds, amazing views. But we have to call a redo on this hike—the Southwest Museum was closed, leaving us disappointed at the secret entrance to the museum elevator built in 1920. We missed the steps inside the museum grounds, and that just won't do! Pic #4 is Casa De Adobe, designed and built in 1918 to resemble a pre-1850 LA home.

We'll be back. Damn steep street and all.